“le plat pays”

Despite not having exact figures, the French Museum’s Direction predicts for this year an increase of the order of 3% of the visits to its national museums.

It seems that the crisis would incite people to frequent museums. As a matter of fact, while the world changes and the future worries, the intangibility of art pieces and the stability of museums could have soothing effects.

The culture economists affirm that in a crisis periods domestic economics sacrifice the great expenses, but not cultural ones -when they are not excessively onerous. After the crisis of 1929, the American cinemas were full of people… However, it does not seem that an economic price is the only explanation. If not, how could we explain people’s attendance to the opera or to concerts of current music, with tickets that vary from 50 to 100 euros?

According to Lamberger-Cohen, French Operas Meeting’s director, the opera’s theatres had never had so much influx of public. The seats are sold out by the best known repertoires. This has been the case of the assemblies of Pumice in Bordeaux, Sigfried in Strasburg, or Carmen, Faust and Salomé in Toulouse. It would not be necessary to forget, however, that the majority of this tickets obeys to payments made in 2008, and it will be necessary to see if it keeps the same way in those of next season 2009-2010.

Regarding the theatre in France, a different behaviour is perceived between the public and the private one. While the first keeps at the same levels of attendance, the second has sensed a light descent. In this case, the policies of more economic payments for the public theatre could constitute an explanation.

With everything, it seems that the cinema would be the most prejudiced by the crisis, while people speak about a sweet moment for the theatre -also the Spaniard. The theatre which has always been said that it is in crisis, now, in a fully global crisis, feels to be full in all its genders. Actors and actresses who have made a name across the cinema go to the theatre, and its popularity helps also to filling in the rooms. And it is that, after years of considering the success of actors in cinema, it would seem that theatre is winning prestige.

Although how some professionals suggest the profession is “to act” and that means by any way, it is certain that each genre has its specificity, for the actor as well as for the public. The cinema -for its technique- can make us live things and situations that could never happen in real life, but theatre has the emotion, the pulse of the life, and it generates a collective activity -unlike the cinema, that is lived in a more individual way.

Art is also being affected by changes. Some galleries in New York hold that the art market needed an adjustment, since last years an important inflation had been produced, often unjustified, to works of almost unknown artists, devoted to produce for market, rather than on concentrate on their work.

This crisis, then, can be beneficial to the artistic production, and it is paradoxically for some galleries: those that had not played the game of the speculation and had kept a demanding line for faithful collectors. Museums can also take advantage of this situation after years unable to afford the high prices of art pieces due to inflation.

Regarding the relation between economics and culture, there is a new fact. For the first time, last 16th November in Avignon took place the culture “Davos”, where more than 250 persons participated. The names of some of them indicate that the culture starts to have a place in the economic world. Aga Khan, French Comical Opera’s, the director Macha Makeïeff, Google’s representatives and Lagardère representatives, Bank Neuflize OBC representatives, they were part -among other-, of the group of assistants.

The motive to organize the event according to its instigators is that economics of the culture is changing, as well as they are making it also the media. Making coincide these worlds that normally are ignored -culture, economics and medias- it was interesting. Another outstanding element is that culture is today a factor of economic growth in which, according to the UN’s report about Creative Economics 2008- it claims a 3.4% of the world-wide trade. In accordance with the philosopher Gilles Lipovetsky, we would be going from the mercantilism of the culture to the culturalization of the merchandise.

If as it seems one of the few sectors in the current moment that increases consumption is the cultural one, and if culture is consolidating as a factor of economic growth, maybe the only joy that could have brought us the crisis is the fact that awakens the need of reflection on the human condition in people -which usually makes the theatre-, and the need to run away from so much things “tinned” to search something authentic. This new situation could generate another type of consumption, more based on the enrichment of people, in social and collective values, and less in individuality.

It could be also that, in the middle of so much virtuality and difficulty of contrasting reality, we need again to feel life. Tasting the authenticity.

Sunday February 22, the European leaders of the G-20 (Germany, France, England, Italy and Spain, plus the presidents of time the European Union, the Euro and the EC) met in Berlin.

They agreed on 7 points to be presented as the compilation of a common position at the next summit of the G-20 which will take place on 2nd of April in London.

It is fair to say that there are not too many new features. In fact, I would say that these points are what any citizen minimally informed would propose. Then, what is the news? The proposal which is made in a coordinated manner among all countries comprising the European Union (EU), which intends to enlarge to all members of the G-20.

Which are the 7 points?
1 - Provide more capacity to the International Monetary Fund and the Stability Financial Fund in order to monitor compliance with the global action plan adopted last November at the Washington Summit.
2 - The creation of a governing body that controls the risk financial products and rating agencies for risk, which have shown to be non operatives.
3 - The creation of a mechanism of sanctions against tax and legal realities that do not work colleague to provide the information they require.
4 - to urge financial institutions to take advantage of periods of economic boom to create the “capital cushions”, measures to help in difficult times.
5 - The commitment to a social market economy, of clear resonances and Keynesian social democrats.
6 - Take action to avoid distortion of competition, avoiding the protectionist measures and promote the Doha Round in the WTO.
7 - Provide more resources to the IMF to provide the necessary aid for members who need it, quickly and flexibly.

If at the next meeting on April 2, the G-20 in London takes this agreement, we will have taken an important step towards tackling the global crisis we are experiencing.

Probably it will not be appropriate to talk about a change of a global governance model, but in fact that is what we are talking about.

Truly, the fact is that in this unleashing of “leave everything in the hands of the market”, we have all almost fallen. Not when presenting proposals, but very often when it comes to governing. It seemed that invest 3 euros and winning 300 in a month was a normal thing and that speculation in housing was something that would not ever end. And we didn’t realize that it was possible due to the increase of inequalities between those who had and those who had less.

Yes, governments do well in trying to save the system, but not at any price. When we say that the problem is the crisis of confidence, that’s the minimum that you might expect! Who do we have to trust? To those banks which give mortgages to poor guarantees?

And actually we even hear some voices shouting that for combating the crisis, we need more deregulation. Now, we have to make more “flexible” salaries and dismisses. What do they propose to us? Why more flexibility to dismisses in our country, which is one of the most “flexible” in the EU?
How will be recovered the purchasing power if workers are even more insecure in their employment contracts? How will they recover confidence in debt, with less security in their contracts or in their salaries?
If it were not so serious, it would seem a bad joke.
The differences which were widening every day between those who have and those who have less is the background of this global crisis. We must say that it is enough; we must say that not everything is acceptable.
We said that another world was possible when the Iraq war took place. Today, we reiterate, not only thinking about a better world in peace, but in a world governed by men and women that believe that the ‘use only once’ is a stupid model, but acting with responsibility is intelligent. As a result, intelligence acts.

Dear Majesties,

I do not know how you managed to leave the East, I guess that you do not come from the Middle East, but from a very distant East, because the situation in the Middle East would not have allowed you to travel without taking big risks for your lives.

I do not know when you started the trip and therefore I do not know if you are already informed about what is happening in the Gaza Strip.

A Gaza, Israel ha declarat la guerra a Palestina i el balanç de l’ofensiva israeliana, ahir diumenge, donava 512 morts, dels quals 87 són infants, i més de 2.450 ferits. In Gaza, Israel has declared war to Palestine and the balance of the Israeli offensive on Sunday, was 512 people dead, of whom 87 are children, and over 2,450 injured.

That is what is happening right now in the region.

The USA in period of transition: an outgoing president who is incapable of putting pressure on Israel for a cessation of the aggression and a new president who has not been heard for days.

A Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates. Oman, Qatar, Bahrain) denouncing the inaction of the Security Council of UN and claiming the new U.S. administration a priority in the Palestinian issue in order to establish peace Overall in the region.

Russia has sent an emissary to the Middle East that explains the strong concern for the many victims among the civilian population and the serious situation of humanitarian aid.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel who is in favour of a cease-fire, but “on condition that Israel’s security is guaranteed, and ensuring that the weapon smuggling does not occur.”

El President de torn de la Unió Europea, el txec Vaclav Klaus explicant que l’operació terrestre d’Israel “no és una operació ofensiva ans defensiva”. The President in turn of the European Union, Vaclav Klaus, explaining that the operation of Israel “is not an offensive operation but defensive.”

Yesterday, a delegation formed by the EU Foreign Ministers from Czech Republic, France, Sweden, and the representative of the European diplomacy, Javier Solana, travelled to the region.

Israeli President Shimon Peres says that a ceasefire in Gaza is not contemplated. “Hamas needs a veritable lesson and is about to learn it.”

Aquesta és la situació, mentre més de 500 persones han mort, i més de 2000 han estat ferides,-la majoria palestins-, il’ajuda humanitària té greus dificultats per arribar als hospitals ia la població civil. This is the situation, while more than 500 people have died and more than 2,000 have been wounded, the majority Palestinians, humanitarian aid has serious difficulties in reaching the hospitals and the civilian population.

People from both sides of the world demand to stop the massacre. No volen ni un màrtir més, per una causa que està enquistada i que els actors actuals de la mateixa són incapaços per múltiples raons, de trobar la solució.

They do not want more a martyrs to a cause that is encysted and the present actors of the same are unable to find a solution to multiple reasons. For each death today, tomorrow there will be 10.

Citizens outraged, call for peace for people from the Middle East, but the international institutions can not be limited to ask for peace. Which we refer to “international community”, which have the strength and legitimacy to do so, must now implement the necessary measures to enforce a truce.

The Arab League, UN, EU, U.S., Russia all must seat with the parts in dispute and force them to negotiate using the pressure needed.

We do not want more condemnations from who should take decisions.

Respected Majesties,

aquesta és la situació al Pròxim Orient i per això la meva petició, el meu regal d’enguany, voldria que fos la fotografia dels que he esmentat més amunt negociant per una pau justa, perquè si no hi ha justícia, tampoc no hi haurà una pau duradora. This is the situation in the Middle East and that is why my request, my gift for this year would be a picture of whose I mentioned above, negotiating for a fair peace, because if there is no justice, there will be neither a lasting peace. And for founding justice, both sides must make assignments and those who do not comply with the agreement must be punished.

És un regal probablement no gaire fàcil d’aconseguir, doncs no el podran comprar ni als grans magatzems, ni en els comerços justos ni en el mercats, però he pensat que essent vostès veïns de la regió potser i podrien fer de bo. It is a gift probably not very easy to achieve, because it will not be bought in department stores or fair trade shops or markets, but I thought of you being neighbours of the region, you could do good.

Demanant excuses per l’extensió de la carta i agraint-los la seva atenció, aprofito l’avinentesa per a desitjar-los un bon retorn a casa seva, si és que quan hi arriben encara queda alguna cosa d’empeus. Seeking excuses for the extension of the letter and thanking you for your attention, I take this opportunity to wish you a good return to your homes.

Sincerely,

Maria Badia i Cutchet

The world can not afford another war in the Middle East. Tota la pressió internacional ha d’anar en la mateixa direcció: aturar els atacs d’Israel a Gaza. All the international pressure has to go in the same way: to stop the Israeli attacks in Gaza. Radicals of both sides can not win. The people of Israel have the right to live in peace and the Palestinian people have the right to live on their land. And that must be said by men and women of good faith on both sides.

UN, EU, U.S., all political actors must stop once and for all with the disaster in the Middle East. Is there someone who thinks that by killing hundreds of men and women and children will live everybody better? Is there someone who believes that the war in the Middle East destabilizes only that area? Hungtington, va morir la setmana passada, però les seves paraules sobre “el xoc de civilitzacions” segueixen essent una amenaça. Hungtington died last week, but his words about a “clash of civilizations” remain a threat.

The preparation for the elections to the European Parliament next 7 June 2009 are now beginning.

More than 750 MEPs will be elected, as well as a new President of Parliament and a new European Commission.

How many women will take part of these representatives? How many women there will be in the places where decisions are made?

A few days ago, the Vice President of the European Commission, Margot Wallstrom, said that when deciding who should occupy the seats of most power over the EU it will be taken into account many factors such as the geographical balance among the “old” States and the “new” ones, the balance between groups of the right, center and left, the balance between large and small states, … but wondered Mrs. Wällstrom: “What about the balance between men and women?”

On the 50th anniversary of the European institutions, there has never been a woman President of the Commission and of a total of 12 presidents of the European Parliament, only 2 were women.

The next European Parliament elections give us the opportunity to improve this situation, voting those lists were the balance between men and women are insured, and without cheating: in predictable places of choice, as many men as women . Because if these lists win, the projection in the choice of top managers will be much more assured.

Today’s vote represents a victory for all workers in Europe and a clear display of the crucial role of the European Parliament on issues that affect citizens directly.

Després de nombroses manifestacions arreu, aquest matí s’ha votat en segona lectura a Estrasburg l’informe del Parlament Europeu sobre la revisió de la Directiva d’ordenació del temps de treball, més coneguda com la Directiva de les 65 hores.

After several demonstrations, this morning has been voted in second reading in Strasbourg the European Parliament report regarding the revision of the directive regulating the working time, better known as the Directive of 65 hours. It was a review of the 1993 one, which established basic principles, such as the maximum working time per week, the daily and weekly rest periods, and the duration of night work.

After long negotiations inside the Parliament, the rapporteur, the Spanish Socialist Alejandro Cercas, has achieved the support of the majority of the European Parliament to make Member States respect the maximum of 48 hours per week, and make disappear the opting-out (non-application of this maximum) agreed in 1993 by the United Kingdom. Thus, after a transitional period of 3 years, it will be prohibited that employers negotiate directly with workers the duration of working time, with a limit of 60 or 65 hours a week, as proposed to the British and a respect for the limit of 48 hours will be assured.

A més, ha aconseguit que, en la línia de les sentències del Tribunal de Justícia de la Unió Europea, es consideri com a efectiu i, per tant, com a temps de treball, el temps de guàrdia -inclosos els períodes inactius, per exemple, quan un metge dorm a l’hospital-, qüestió que a Espanya afecta particularment el personal sanitari.

It has also been ensured that, in line with the judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it will be considered as effective and therefore as working time, time of guard duty, including the idle periods, for example when a physician-hospital sleep, which affects particularly in Spain health personnel. And also, that compensation breaks will be granted after periods of work.

Finally, in order to improve reconciliation between work and personal life, the European Parliament has also approved the right of workers to request changes to timetables and patterns of work, and the duty of employers of taking into account of these demands .

Then, the revision of this directive will collect the judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union in employment in the field of guards duty and of working time, and strengthen labour laws of all workers of the Union, which increases safety and security.

Tanmateix, després del rebuig del Parlament Europeu d’una proposta que era totalment regressiva, ara els Governs dels 27 Estats Membres hauran de tornar a negociar el text i, per tant, s’obre un període de negociació de 90 dies entre el Parlament i el Consell, anomenat de conciliació, que en cas d’acabar sense acord, faria decaure el text. However, after the European Parliament’s rejection of a proposal that was fully back, now the governments of the 27 Member States will have to re-negotiate the text, and therefore a period of 90 days of negotiations between Parliament and The Council called for conciliation has been opened. In case that there were not any agreement, the text would be declinedOn the other hand, if we reach an agreement, the states will have three years to adapt their laws to the new Directive.

Brussels, 17 December 2008

The Avignon Forum was opened last November 18th with the attendance of more than 250 persons from over 15 different countries.

The aim was to bring together three different areas that usually turn their backs on each other: economy, culture and media.

Some European Ministers of Culture and well-known influential representatives both from cultural and media backgrounds were among the guests.

One of the topics on the table was the importance of culture as a dynamic and growing sector.

According to the 2008 UN report on Creative Economy, today’s culture sector only represents 3,4% of world trade. Recent forecasts indicate that as much as a third of the sector growing will be produced by cell phones and the Internet. According to what Gilles Lipovetsky said: “We are now shifting from culture maketisation to goods culturisation”.

Most of the speeches outlined how hard it is to understand changes in a world where the Internet’s revolution generates a new way of thinking and a brand new economy, which is still being built.

The major topics of free culture and the problems it raises in creativity, as well as the gap between what is virtual and what is real are core debate questions. However they were missed during the Forum. When the economic dimension of culture is debated thoroughly, these elements must be taken into account as they are considered a part of the appreciated “cultural exception”.

Dear Eluned,

I received your warm letter some weeks ago. I have taken it with me since then, looking for a suitable moment to answer it.

I understand and I share each one of your words, ideas, opinions and feelings that you are dropping in it, as a farewell to the European Parliament.

But I am a little sad. Not only because we will not meet again in the lift and have those short chats, or in the Group where you steadily defend your points of views. I am sad because I believe that your resign has a lot to do with the tremendous difficulty to balance work and family life.

One of the problems in our responsibilities is “almost the impossible task of getting the European message through”, in your own words.

But to get the message through, parliamentarians need to have a real life, not a virtual life. We need parliamentarians like you who know which are the problems of normal people, who look after their relatives, parents, sons, and so on.

Young women with a family, with sons and daughters, find everyday more difficult to balance both their private and professional lives. Sometimes I look around me and I see all these well prepared women that cannot permit themselves to have a baby or even to have a couple, just because of the big demands of their work. When it happens, I got faced to the reality, which shows me that much more still needs to be done to change our societies.

I am a woman from the “sixties”, a generation that fought hard to position us inside the society. We broke the laces from our parents and from our husbands or boyfriends to decide our own life, as free citizens in a world that was designed just for citizen’s men.

Your decision faces me to the reality: things have changed a lot but still not enough, and it is so much that needs to be done! There is no time for relaxe, the fight needs to be continued.

Dear Eluned, many thanks for your friendship, for you work, for your compromise with social justice and my best wishes for the future, wherever it can be.

Much love,

Maria Badia i Cutchet

Link: Letter from Eluned Morgan

I tu, i tu, i tu….
And you, and you, and you …
The United States (U.S.) have completed today an historic process. A process that began when on June 2008, in the Democratic primary election, Barack Obama, the 47 years-old Illinois senator, black, a man almost unknown by his own party, defeated veteran Hillary Clinton.

U.S. citizens have found in him the hope for change to improve their lives. Not only towards a better way of governing finances, economy, health, security… but also to restore them the pride and honour lost during the two terms of Bush Jr. at the White House.

Les administracions Bush han malmès el crèdit internacional i també intern del país, pels errors comesos amb guerres injustes –amb milers de morts per les dues bandes-, per una política exterior de confrontació prepotent, erràtica i unilateral, per un desgovern de les finances i de l’economia que ha portat el país a una de les crisis més fortes des del 29, estesa a nivell global.

The Bush administration has damaged the country’s international credibility and his own one for the mistakes that were made with unjust wars, with thousands of deaths on both sides, a foreign policy of arrogant confrontation, erratic and unilateral, for a misgovernment of finances and of the economy that has brought the country to one of the most severe crisis since 1929, extended globally.

Les ganes de recuperar l’orgull malmès, de sentir missatges dirigits a cadascú -en els quals, els ciutadans s’hi han sentit identificats-, i la consciència que tot el que volien canviar del seu país estava al seu abast -i ho podien fer junts-, és el tribut d’Obama. The aim to restore the damaged pride, to hear messages addressed to everyone in which the citizens identifie themselves and the awareness that everything that they wanted to change of his country was within their reach - and they could do it together -, is Obama’s message.

In the U.S., new generations have returned to politics.
Social humble and impoverished ones have returned to politics.
Intellectual have returned to politics.
Middle classes have returned to politics.

Who says that “politic” is in crisis?

While it is true what is said around: “Well, yes, he has won, but now we must see what he will do… There is little scope to change things ….”

Però hi ha alguna cosa que ja està feta: el retorn a la convicció que la participació política serveix per canviar coses i, de moment, n’ha canviat una no pas menor: passar de Bush a Obama. But there is something that has already been done: the return to the conviction that political participation serves to change things and, for now, it has changed one step lower: let the transition from Bush to Obama.

The motto “Yes, we can” is true and not only in America. Everywhere, in democracy, when people want, they can.

Una gran felicitació a Obama pel esplèndids resultats, i els millors desitjos perquè els grans i difícils reptes que té al davant siguin encarats amb els encerts necessaris. A big Congratulations to Obama by the splendid results, and best wishes to the great and difficult challenges he has to deal with. has to be hit with encarats necessary. I wish that today’s broad victory accompany him in the management of this great country, whom problems, as we have said many times, are already problems around the world.

On 15 November the so-called G-20 will meet in Washington, where the director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Khan, will propose a new plan for global governance.

A plan that would include 5 issues:

1- Release a new loan to provide liquidity in the short term.
2- Increase the resources of the IMF.
3- Draw lessons from the economic policies that have led to the current situation.
4- Supervise the implementation of new financial regulations that the Financial Stability Forum (a group of major central banks) and the IMF have made.
5- Rethink a global system more coherent.

It is therefore to propose a decisive reform of the global governance. So far, I totally agree. But, as well as the financial crisis, there is a crisis of poor countries affected by the rise of food prices. The fact is that while for rich countries, the crisis means reduced purchasing power, for poor ones; this represents an increase in the number of people suffering from hunger and malnutrition, especially in children.

I repeat that I find very positive the proposal of Mr. Strauss-Khan who will be in the negotiations’ table. There will be the same people who were and who have allowed or caused this crisis? Who will defend countries suffering from hunger? És important que, a la taula, s’hi asseguin també altres que, com a mínim, ofereixin el benefici del dubte, alhora que busquin una solució justa a tot aquest despropòsit global. It is also important that at the negotiations table were attending other countries seek a just solution to all this nonsense global situation.